USA Softball: Women’s National Team Named a Finalist for “Team USA Olympic Team of the Year”

The USA Softball Women’s National Team has been selected as a nominee for the 2019 Team USA Olympic Team of the Year following a dominating 2018-2019 season that was nothing short of GOLDen.

The candidates for the 2019 Team USA Olympic Team of the Year are:

• USA Softball WNT
• the U.S. Equestrian Jumping Team
• U.S. Women’s Soccer Team
• U.S. Women’s Water Polo Team
• U.S. Men’s 4×100 meter Track and Field Team

The Team USA Awards, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of Team USA athletes year-round, are voted on by National Governing Body representatives and select members of the media for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting.

Fans are invited to vote for their favorite athletes and teams at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Oct. 28.

It’s been an amazing run for the Women’s National Softball Team from 2018 to now.

Team USA finished with a 20-0 record in 2018, securing a No. 1 world ranking and a World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Women’s Softball World Championship Gold Medal to become the first U.S. team to secure a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Red, White and Blue finished the World Championship tournament in August, 2018 with a 10-0 record, earning five shutout victories and outscoring their opponents 71-13. The U.S. claimed the world title with a 7-6 walk-off victory over world-ranked No. 2 Japan. The win marked the 11th world title for the WNT program, continuing the storied legacy as the most decorated program in international softball.

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The Gold Medal trend continued in the 2019 season as Team USA landed atop the podium in each of its three competitions, securing the Gold Medal at the USA Softball International Cup, Pan American Games and Japan Cup.

International Cup

The WNT went 6-1 at the International Cup, recording their one loss to world-ranked No. 2 Japan after a late sixth-inning score from the Japanese.

Team USA bounced back with two wins over Mexico and Puerto Rico for a second shot against Japan in the Gold Medal game, their fifth meeting of the 2019 season.

The U.S. came out on top this time in a closely contested battle for the 2-1 comeback victory, securing back-to-back International Cup Gold Medals and their first of the 2019 season.

Pan American Games

The Red, White and Blue captured their second 2019 Gold Medal with a 7-1 record at the Pan American Games, forcing four shutout victories and outscoring their opponents 32-5.

Team USA suffered their one loss to Canada in a 3-2 nail biter but got redemption as the Americans met them for a third time of the tournament, this time for the Gold.

The U.S. claimed the title with a 3-1 victory over Canada, becoming the first-ever softball team to win nine Pan American Games titles.

Japan Cup

The WNT capped off the 2019 international season in dominating fashion, going undefeated with a 4-0 record at the Japan Cup to clinch their third-consecutive Gold Medal of the season.

The U.S. opened the tournament with a 13-0 (four innings) run-rule over No. 15 Czech Republic and an 8-0 (six innings) run-rule over No. 6 Chinese Taipei. Their third victory of the tournament sealed them a spot in the Championship Game with an 8-2 win over No. 2 Japan.

The Japanese would bounce-back to the Medal game for what would be the final meeting between world-ranked No.1 USA and No. 2 Japan prior to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

A three-run first inning was enough to secure Team USA with the 3-2 Gold Medal victory, proving the USA Softball WNT as the GOLDen girls of the summer.

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*** Information supplied by USA Softball
*** Vote for the Women’s National Softball Team as the 2019 Team USA Olympic Team of the Year at TeamUSA.org/Awards through midnight Monday, Oct. 28.